From Strangers to Dance Partners
by Juliet Riversong
Summary: An AU in which everyone is still an animal, but Sly and Carmelita haven't met yet. Carmelita's best friend, Artemis (a snow leopard), and one of Sly's best friends, Will (a panther), are getting married! To announce the engagement, Will and Artemis invite Sly and Carm to a dinner. When Sly and Carm meet, their interactions become like in the games. Rated for cursing. OC/OC S/C
1. Prologue

**AN: Hello, all! It's good to be back after not writing for a while. I just recently started re-playing all the Sly Cooper games (which I ADORE). And, after being reminded about how adorable Sly and Carmelita are, I decided to write about them! This'll be a multi-chapter fic. Not sure how long. I'll write as fast as I can to get the second chapter up.**

**Some points about this chapter and the story in general:**

**1.) For this fic (and any other Sly Cooper fics I write with Carmelita in them), Carmelita's voice will sound like her voice from the 2nd game. I like her voice in that the best.**

**2.) When Artemis says "brinner," it means "breakfast for dinner" (in case you didn't already know).**

**3.) Artemis has an Irish accent. I'm going to be typing her speech normally, but just keep in mind that she's got an Irish accent.**

**4.) Artemis' full name is Artemis O'Shea. Will's full name is William Winther. Just fyi.**

**5.) Artemis O'Shea and Will Winther are characters I made up. I probably won't use Will Winther again. But, I may draw Artemis and possibly Sly and Carmelita's son (who I'll probably name Will). So, if you wanna use Winther in one of your stories, feel free. Just tell me first, yeah?**

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><p>It was a hot summer day, just like any other when Interpol agent Inspector Carmelita Fox was driving home from a long day of busting criminals. <em>The rush-hour traffic actually isn't half bad today<em>, she thought to herself. _Then again, it_ is _only Wednesday._

When she pulled up into the parking lot of her apartment complex, Carmelita's sixth sense she gained from years on the force kicked in. Something was about to happen.

Pushing it to the side of her thoughts for now (although still remaining alert), the blue-haired vixen grabbed the keys to her apartment and stepped out of her car. She made her way up the steps to her floor.

Upon arrival at her door, she fumbled with the keys before slipping the correct one into the door handle, unlocking it and stepping inside.

"Artemis, I'm back," she called to her roommate that may or may not be in. Carmelita slipped off her boots and set them beside the door.

"Hey, Carm! How was work today?" she heard a voice ask from another room, the person's voice lilting with an Irish accent.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Busted some criminals, made the boss happy." She walked over to the couch in the living room area of the apartment and sat down on it.

She heard laughter come from the other room before seeing a tall, slim figure emerge from the hallway. "All in a day's work, huh?" Artemis teased.

Carmelita grinned back. "You know it."

Artemis only replied with a bright smile before the snow leopard walked into the small kitchen, her black short-shorts and blue T-shirt with a Native American design on it keeping her cool.

Humming to herself, Artemis started to get out things for dinner. "Brinner sound good to you?" asked the Irishwoman lightly.

Carmelita raised an eyebrow at her roommate, who seemed to be on Cloud 9. "Uh... Yeah, sure," she said uncertainly.

"Okay," the other woman sighed, barely acknowledging the fox's hesitation.

"Hey, Art, you okay?" asked Carmelita warily.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm perfectly fine," replied Artemis in her natural Irish accent, continuing to make dinner for the two of them. She then put her lower back-length black hair up in a ponytail so it wouldn't get dirty.

"What's got you so happy, then?"

After a long bout of silence, Carmelita began to get suspicious. "Artemis O'Shea, you'd better tell me what's going on."

"Nothing's going on!" Artemis replied quickly, brushing her side bangs that couldn't fit into the ponytail out of her eyes.

"... Alright," Inspector Fox replied, still unconvinced but not wanting to start anything.

* * *

><p>As the two women were sitting at their countertop, eating in silence, Carmelita couldn't help wanting to start a conversation.<p>

"So, how are you and Will doing?" she asked, knowing that bringing up Artemis' long-time boyfriend would definitely get her talking.

"We're doing wonderfully, thank you for asking!" the snow leopard exclaimed.

"Oh, which reminds me!" she quickly added before Carmelita could say something. "Would you mind coming to dinner with Will and I on Friday? He's inviting his best mate as well," she added the last bit as an afterthought.

Carmelita groaned and set her fork down, slumping back in her chair. "Please tell me this isn't another one of your _'set-Carmelita-up-with-someone-so-she'll-be-happier'_ plans, is it? Because you know I'm perfectly happy already."

"No, no. I promise it's nothing like that! We just got tired of going on dates by ourselves..." she fibbed.

"I don't know, Art..." Carmelita said skeptically.

"_Pleeease_? It would mean the _world_ to me! And Will!" the black-haired woman begged, her green eyes pleading with Carmelita to accept.

The vixen sighed heavily. "Oh, alright."

"Yes!" fist pumped Artemis. "Thank you _so_ much, Carm!"

Carmelita laughed lightly and shook her head at her best friend's antics. "Yeah, yeah."

The Irish snow leopard happily picked up both her and Carmelita's empty plates and gently laid them in the sink, nearly skipping down the short hallway to her room. No doubt she was about to call Will and tell him that Carmelita accepted.

Carmelita sighed and sat back in her chair. _Friday is going to be interesting, _she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>"Sly, hurry up! We don't have much time. The owner will be back soon," a nasally voice came from the comm in his ear.<p>

"I'm going as fast as I can, Bentley," replied the raccoon currently racing across rooftops.

"Wait... Are you even at the house yet?"

"Uh, no. But that's not important."

"Yes! Yes it is important! We could be _caught_!"

Sly skidded to a halt, the gap between the roof he's on and the next one bigger than before. "We're not going to get caught. Just... Have a little faith in me, Bentley." And with that, he turned off his comm.

Taking a deep breath, the master thief backed up so he was in the middle of the roof. Flicking his ringed tail and twirling his trusty cane in his hand, Sly burst forward at a sprint.

As he approached the edge of the roof, he leapt forward and soared across the open space, landing in a roll on the far platform. When he came out of the roll, he was crouched.

"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed, jumping up and continuing across the roof.

A couple roofs later, Sly stuck his cane in his mouth and latched onto a pipe, climbing down onto a balcony. Once there, he took the cane in his hand again. Turning so he was facing the open window across the alley, he smirked.

Sly leapt from the balcony, reaching up with his cane and hooking onto a convenient clothesline and swinging silently across the gap and through the window.

Landing in a crouch, Cooper looked up. He stood and made his way out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

Not knowing where he was going, he turned the comm back on. "Where am I going, Bentley?"

"Okay, so you're in the hallway now, right?" the turtle asked.

"Yeah," Sly replied, his tail gently waving around behind him as he looked down the hallway. "I'm in the bedroom doorway."

Some clicking from a keyboard could be heard through the comm. "When you step out into the hallway, the second door on your left should be the one with the safe."

"Alright, thanks man." The raccoon in blue crept down the hallway. "No one's home, right, Bentley?" Sly asked in a whisper, just in case there was, in fact, someone there.

"Shouldn't be... Why, do you see someone?" came the worried reply.

Sly stepped up to the door and softly opened it. "No, it's all clear."

Spotting the safe, he made his way over. He knelt next to the safe and turned his head so his ear was on the door.

Cooper slowly turned the knob left until - _click_. _There's the first number,_ he thought to himself.

He then started to turn it right until the same click happened again. _And the second_. After that, it was back to the left.

Finally, the third click sounded and Sly leaned back and pulled the handle. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he easily pulled it open. _Bingo_.

Taking the contents of the safe and leaving a calling card, he closed the door to the safe and stuck the object in his pouch.

"I'm all done in here, Bentley."

"Alright, Sly. Head into the alley and Murray and I will be there in the van," came the cheery reply.

The raccoon stepped out of the safe room and into the hallway. Suddenly, the sound of a door shutting set him on edge, instantly making him shove himself silently against the wall.

When he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, he moved to the bedroom with silent steps acquired after years and years of being a thief.

The steps continued down the hallway towards him, so Sly dove to the ground, quickly rolling underneath the bed.

Holding his breath, Sly watched the person's feet as they went around the room. The boots came to a stop at the bed. The person - they looked to be a monkey of some sort - kicked off their shoes and nudged them under the bed.

Sly silently thanked the heavens that the man didn't kneel down and look before doing so.

A heavy sigh came from the man as he sat down on the bed. Sly pushed himself more against the floor so the monkey didn't feel something pushing up on the mattress and check underneath.

The man let out a breathy curse before getting up and walking out of the room. Sly waited a few moments to make sure he was gone and staying gone for a little bit before launching out from under the bed and running over to the windowsill.

Spotting a slick pipe that lead to the glorious Cooper Van, he hopped on it and slid down to the ground before running to the passenger seat and hopping in through the open window.

Once finally safe, Sly breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, Murray. _Step on it!_"

* * *

><p>After saying goodbye to his gang, the raccoon in blue stepped out of the van and made his way to the front door of his apartment building.<p>

He _would_ live with the gang in the safe house, but he had to keep up the pretense that he was a normal person, and not a thief, so he had to get an apartment. His roommate was a cool dude. They did a full background check (and with Bentley's hacking ability, it was even more extensive) on him before Sly moved in.

Because of a little slip of the tongue on Murray's part when the hippo and turtle were over, Sly's roommate knew what they did in their free time. Thankfully, he promised not to tell anyone about it once he was explained that the Cooper Gang were honorable thieves who only stole from bad people who deserved it.

Honestly, Sly wasn't exactly sure what he would have done if his roommate reacted differently.

Arriving at the door, Sly pulled out his keys and stuck them in the lock, turning it so it became unlocked. He then opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him and slipping off his shoes.

He glanced at the clock. _6:34. Alright._

The honorable thief took off his mask (which was pretty redundant, seeing as how he's a raccoon) and gloves, setting them in the special compartment in the living room.

He could smell mac'n'cheese coming from the kitchen. When he went into the kitchen, he spotted his roommate on the phone.

"-she accepted, sweetie," Sly heard, just catching the end of the sentence. He sent a quick head nod to his roommate before grabbing a bowl and scooping some noodles into it.

His friend nodded back. "Yeah, I know. I'll ask him tonight."

Sly's brows furrowed in confusion. He was obviously talking to his girlfriend, Artemis, who Sly had met many times. She was a pretty cool chick. Her accent was awesome.

"Me too, hun. See you then... Love you too, bye," said his roomie before hanging up and slipping his cellphone in his pocket. "Hey, Sly."

"'Sup, Will. Who was that on the phone?" he asked, knowing full well who is was.

"Oh, that was Artemis."

"Sweet. How are you two doing, by the way?" he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter and scooping a spoonful of noodles in his mouth.

"We're doing great. How was the heist?" Will asked, knowing that that's what his friend had been doing.

"It went very nicely. Almost got caught by the guy, but I managed to avoid it," the raccoon replied calmly.

"Oo. Good thing you didn't. Or I'd probably have to bail you out, wouldn't I?" the slightly taller, more built man asked.

Sly chuckled at his panther friend. "Probably."

"Hey, Sly?" Will asked after a moment of them eating their food.

"Yeah?"

"You free on Friday?"

"William Winther, are you asking me out on a _date_? But what about Artemis?" Sly asked, gasping dramatically and putting a hand to his chest.

Will laughed and shook his head. "That's real cute, Sly."

"Thanks, I thought so," he replied cheekily.

"No, I was just wondering because Art and I wanted you to come with us to dinner," the panther continued, getting to the point.

"Uh..."

"She's inviting a friend of hers as well. She wanted to try something different, like going on dates with other people," Will added.

Sly sighed. "Man, you know I don't have time to meet anyone. Besides, it'd _suck_ not being able to tell her what I do if we _do_ get serious. Not everyone would react like you did. We got lucky."

"I know, I know. But it doesn't have to be anything like that! Just think of it this way; it's like me and Art are going to a ball or something-"

"-Seriously dude, a ball?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to help you understand."

"Sorry," Sly at least had the decency to look sheepish, scratching the back of his neck.

"_Anyway_, it's like we're going to some sort of event and you're my plus-one and Art's friend is hers. You don't have to get married and have kids or anything, just _please_ be civil," Winther begged.

Sly sighed again. "Alright, alright, I'll come." Then, after a short moment, "Is it formal wear?"

"Naw, man. We're just going to Outback."

"Okay, sounds good."

Will let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks so much, Sly."

"Eh, no problem," he replied, waving him off before setting his empty dish in the sink. "Now go call Artemis and tell her I said yes, just like she called you."

Will gave Sly a confused look before it dawned on him. "Were you listening to our conversation?"

The raccoon in question shrugged. "Only your half of it. I could piece together the rest on my own, it's not that hard."

Will sighed and shook his head, mumbling something about how it must be the thief in Sly, always aware of the things going on around him. He then walked off down the hallway to his bedroom.

Sly sighed and leaned against the counter again. "Friday is going to be interesting," he mumbled to himself.

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><p><strong>AN: (Forgot the disclaimer, whoops: any and all recognizable "Sly Cooper" characters from the games are not mine. Artemis and Will ARE mine. See # 5 up top for more info. Outback Steakhouse does not belong to me, although I've been there many times) There you have it! The first chapter of "From Strangers to Dance Partners"! Next chapter will probably be the dinner. I'll have it ASAP! But, I'm a little busy this summer, so hopefully I'll get around to it soon.<strong>

**If you wanna, drop me a review to let me know what you guys think! It'd be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Dinner for Four

**AN: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Also, I've decided that I'm going to update every week. So, be expecting an update next Sunday before 12:00 midnight! Although, sometimes they may be early, sometimes they may be late, and sometimes I may have to skip a week - depending on how busy my week is.**

**Just fyi, when a sentence is in italics, that means the person is thinking that sentence.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sly Cooper or any other recognizable characters from the games (no matter how hard I wish I did). I also don't own Outback Steakhouse. (I do, however, own Artemis and Will)**

**Dang, this turned** **out to be a pretty long chapter! I hope this fulfills your need of Sly/Carmelita banter! Enjoy**

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><p><strong>-Thursday-<strong>

Carmelita Fox sighed to herself. She was walking down the sidewalk, headed for the local grocery store for some food. It wasn't too far from her apartment, so she decided to forgo her car for good, old fashioned walking.

Not only would walking save gas, it also gave her time to think about her life. Her job, her friends... Her love life. Or lack thereof.

The gorgeous fox's last relationship was with a fellow Interpol agent. He ended up getting feelings for a childhood friend. Carmelita had met the other woman before and she was very nice.

The man couldn't decide between the two, so Carmelita chose for him; she ended things. She cared about him deeply, but could see that he was happier with his friend.

Lost in thought, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. From the alley she was walking past, a man came barreling at her.

He wasn't paying attention to where he was going either, so he crashed into her, knocking her to the ground and falling on top of her.

Wide brown eyes looked into each other's. Then, recovering, the handsome raccoon above her grinned charmingly.

"My apologies, miss. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," he said, getting up and picking a strange-looking hook off the ground.

Carmelita blinked at his offered hand. "Uh, it's... It's no problem. I wasn't paying attention either," she replied, grabbing his hand. He pulled her up quickly, leaving her breathless.

When she looked at his face, they were closer than she was comfortable with. She could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Although, I'm somewhat glad I wasn't. If I run into a gorgeous woman every time I'm not paying attention, I'd actually give myself two left feet," the mysterious man added, winking at her.

Regaining her composure, the off-duty Interpol agent released her hold on the man's hand and took a step back. "Um... Thank you?"

"Not a problem," he replied, smiling.

"Now, if you don't mind, I must be off. I hope we meet again," with that and a bow Carmelita couldn't tell whether it was mocking or not, the stranger was off.

Still momentarily stunned, Carmelita blinked again. Shaking herself out of the stupor she was put in, she kept walking. Just a few more blocks to go...

As she continued walking, she just couldn't seem to get that mysterious stranger out of her mind. His voice, his eyes, his smile...

All of it imprinted itself in her brain.

No, no, no! This was not good. She had to stop thinking about him. There was no way she was going to see him again, so what would be the point in memorizing what he was like?

In a day, she'll forget all about the raccoon who crashed into her.

With a heavy sigh, she focused her thoughts back on the real world. _I wonder what Will's friend will be like_.

Will he be sweet? Arrogant? Shy? There was no way to tell before meeting the man, of course. But Carmelita's mind could still wonder.

* * *

><p>"Aw, Will, you should've seen her! She was <em>beautiful<em>!" Sly exclaimed, throwing his hands up at 'beautiful' for emphasis.

He had come back from the heist he and the gang pulled smiling like an idiot. At Will's questioning on why he was so happy, the thieving raccoon had explained that he had accidentally crashed into a random woman who turned out to be, well, "_beautiful_."

Will shook his head, smiling. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a little crush. How adorable."

Being brought back to reality by his roommate's comment, Sly frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. That's probably the first, _and last_, time I'll ever see her. What are the odds of me _actually_ seeing this woman again? Besides, I was merely commenting on how attractive she was," he added defensively.

Shrugging, Will replied, "Whatever you say, man," and left the room with his laundry basket in hand.

Left alone with his thoughts, Sly couldn't get the fox he ran into out of his mind. Not only was she good looking, but she also smelled amazing! (No, he doesn't think it was creepy that he smelled her at all...)

He sighed. He had to forget about her. There was no way he would ever see her again, so what'd be the point of keeping her in his thoughts. He only wished he knew her name, so he didn't have to keep calling her "gorgeous fox lady" in his head.

Focusing back in the real world, Sly started making dinner for himself and his panther roommate.

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><p><strong>-Friday evening-<strong>

Carmelita got ready for the evening, taking a shower and putting on decent clothes. The dinner was only going to be at Outback Steakhouse, so her clothes didn't have to be fancy, but she certainly wasn't going to show up in sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt.

She put on simple black short shorts and a black tank top. Over the tank top, she put on a light grey shirt with the words "stay classy" printed on them in black. To top it all off, she put on black boots and mascara.

Artemis put on a mid-thigh length green dress that made her eyes pop. Grabbing her purse and car keys, Carmelita and Artemis headed out to the fox's car; it was smaller and more fuel efficient.

"Will said that he and his mate are there already," Artemis read off her phone, her Irish accent becoming more prominent due to her excitement.

Carmelita smiled. "You should calm down, Art. It's just a dinner," she replied, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Oh, it's going to be _far_ from _'just a dinner,'_" Artemis whispered to herself.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, Carmelita," said Artemis, an innocent smile on her face.

The rest of the ride went on in silence, both women thinking about different things.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Carmelita offered to drop Artemis off at the entrance. "You go in and find Will. I'll park the car and be right in."

"Alright, sure. Thank you!" Artemis accepted happily, opening the car door and walking into the building.

When Carmelita found a good parking space, she turned off the car, took the keys from the ignition, grabbed her purse, and stepped out of the car.

Shutting the car door behind her, Carmelita pressed the button on the key that locked the car and walked over to the door. One of the waitresses was waiting to open the door. "Welcome to Outback," she cheerily said.

The blue-haired fox walked up to the hostess station.

"Hello, how many?" asked the hostess, a friendly smile on her face.

"Actually, I'm with a party that's already here?"

"Okay! What name?"

"Winther, maybe."

"Alrighty, yup. You'll go to your right and then left down the long isle. Your group should be in the very back corner of the restaurant," she said, pointing while giving the directions.

"Thank you," Carmelita replied, smiling at the woman and heading off in the direction she was told.

She was headed for the bathroom first, though. Which just so happened to be in the same general area.

Realizing she still had her keys out, the fox flicked her tail and brought her purse to the front of her, looking down and fumbling with putting her keys inside while continuing to walk.

When she was almost to the door, she felt herself trip and then start to fall. Her eyes screwed shut involuntarily in preparation for impact on the hard ground. But instead, she landed on something soft...

Shit. It was a person.

Opening her eyes wide, Carmelita prepared to apologize profusely. But what she was met with made the words die in her throat.

Right there, underneath her, was the raccoon she had bumped into just yesterday.

Her hands were on his chest and his were around her waist. A mischievous, almost... Happy glint was in his eyes.

"We really must stop meeting like this," his smooth voice teased.

Gaining her faculties much quicker than last time, Carmelita scrambled up. "You should really watch where you're going!"

The raccoon across from her stood up as well and raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I could say the same thing to you."

Carmelita narrowed her eyes and bent down to pick up her purse, zipping it closed (thank the heavens that nothing fell out), and saying, "Have a nice night." Without waiting for a reply, she walked past the man and to the door marked "Sheilas."

Before the door shut, she heard the man chuckle and looked back to see him shaking his head with a smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Finished up in the bathroom, Carmelita made her way to the booth table her friend was sitting at. From her position, she could see Will and Artemis' faces.<p>

But, Will's friend was facing away from her. He had grey fur... No, it couldn't be...

As she came up to the table, her fears were confirmed. It was the raccoon she had just seen earlier.

Carmelita blinked in disbelief and even the normally composed stranger had both eyebrows up as their gazes locked. _You have_ got_ to be kidding me_.

"Carmelita! There you are! What took you so long?" Artemis asked, thoroughly confused at the looks her two friends were giving each other.

"Oh, uh, I went to the bathroom..." Carmelita answered, looking away from the raccoon and shattering the tense eye contact. He was still looking at her, though.

Will was sitting against the wall and Artemis was on the outside of the booth seat. Will's friend was sitting against the wall as well.

"Hello, Carmelita!" said Will, a smile on his face, oblivious to the weirdness going on between his friend and the fox still standing up.

Carmelita turned to him and have a small smile. "Hey, Will."

"So, this is my friend and roommate, Sly Cooper," he said again, gesturing to the raccoon. "Sly, that's Artemis' friend, Carmelita Fox."

_Sly? So that's his name_...

"Nice to meet you, Sly..." Carmelita turned to the raccoon - Sly - and gave a smile that was really more like a grimace.

Sly grinned. "Pleasure's all mine, Carmelita," he replied, winking so that only she could see.

_Ugh_._ This is gonna be a_ long _night_.

"Please, sit!" said Artemis happily.

Hesitantly, Carmelita slid into the booth and sat as far from Sly as possible.

"I won't bite, you know," he said quietly, so only she could hear.

Carmelita sighed and moved so she was at least firmly in the seat. But she refused to move any closer to the man.

When the waiter came around, everyone placed their orders.

The rest of the dinner went on with small chatter between the group. Every once in a while, Sly would make a "charming" comment towards Carmelita. She would brush it off with an eye roll.

After the waiter dropped their desserts off, the chatter died down.

Carmelita got a mini chocolate milkshake, so she was sipping happily on that.

"So, there was actually a reason why we invited you two to this dinner...," the Irishwoman sitting across from her started.

Carmelita looked up and tilted her head, seeing Artemis and Will share a glance and a small head nod. She risked a glance over at Sly and he was looking at the couple as well, a calm curiosity playing through on his features.

Looking back at the couple, she watched and listened closely.

"Well, you see," Artemis started again. "Will and I..."

Then, together in perfect unison, said, "We're getting married!"

Carmelita's mouth fell open. Then, when the words finally sunk in, a big smile graced her features. "Oh my gosh, that's so wonderful, Art! I'm so happy for you two!"

She looked between the two of them, glad that Artemis was happy and that he treated her well.

"Congratulations, man. That's great," she heard Sly say.

"That's not all," said Artemis mysteriously, gaining the attention of both the raccoon and the fox.

"We wanted to ask you guys if you'd the the Best Man," continued Will, looking at Sly.

"And the Maid of Honor," finished Artemis, looking at Carmelita.

Carmelita was awed to silence, and it seemed the man sitting next to her was as well. She couldn't believe that Artemis wanted her to be Maid of Honor!

It was such a... Well, an honor!

"Of course!" Carmelita and Sly said at the same time. Carmelita sent a small glare his way.

Will and Artemis wore matching grins. "That's awesome," said Will, "It wouldn't be the same without you two."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, man," replied Sly, a happy smile on his face.

"Thank you, Sly," Artemis added, looking at the raccoon with gratitude in her voice and features.

Sly inclined his head, smiling happily at her.

"I'm so humbled that you asked me to be your Maid of Honor, Art!" Carmelita commented.

"It was the first thing she decided about the wedding when I asked her," said Will, a humorous smirk on his face. Artemis nudged him. Carmelita smiled.

"Speaking of which," the fox started, "when did you ask her?"

Artemis smiled and brought her hand on top of the table, a simple band that looked like silver ivy wrapping around her ring finger. Small white gems coated the part of the ring that faced up.

Carmelita gasped as she and Sly both leaned in to look at it. "It's gorgeous, Will!"

"Thank you. I thought that one suited her best," he replied modestly.

The fox nodded in response.

"He took me on a romantic date in the park. There was a carriage ride and a two-person peddle boat and everything! Then, after a nice picnic, he took me under the bridge - you know, the one with ivy and roses hanging from the top - and got down on one knee! Of course, I said yes as soon as he was finished his speech," Artemis gushed, her Irish accent seeming to make everything more magical and her eyes sparkled with glee.

Carmelita listened with a bright smile on her face. Then, noticing that Cooper was sitting closer to her, she sent him a quick glare and nudged his foot with hers under the table.

Looking at Carmelita, he seemed to realize just how close the two were and grinned, sliding back closer to the wall.

Carmelita rolled her eyes but then turned back to the happy couple who were oblivious to what just went on. "That's so sweet, Will."

Will ducked his head sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. "She deserves nothing less."

"Aw, thank you, love!" Artemis said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

Sly and Carmelita looked on, matching smiles on their faces.

"So, when's the wedding?" asked Sly, a smile still on his face.

"We're going to do it sometime in late November or early December because Art here loves the cold," answered Will, looking at Artemis.

"... And, along with the regular duties of being Best Man and Maid of Honor," added Artemis, "we'd like for you two to... Share a dance after ours at the wedding."

"Seriously?!" the fox and raccoon said together. Sly sounded a little excited while Carmelita sounded mortified.

Artemis winced at Carmelita's reaction. "It'll only be one dance, I swear!"

Sly, knowing Carmelita's reluctance, waited for her to answer first.

Looking at Artemis, there was NO way she was going to be able to refuse. Besides, it was Art's big day. Who was she to come in the way of that? If she had to endure one slow dance with the raccoon beside her to make her best friend happy, then so be it.

"Alright. Only for you, Art."

Artemis beamed. "Thank you so much!" She then looked to Sly. He nodded.

"One more thing..." started Will.

_Oh, brother._ _What now?_

"It's going to be a tango."

At this, both of their jaws drop open. For different reasons, though.

Carmelita had experience with dance. She knew how to dance a tango fairly well. Therefore, she knew it was a very passionate and... _Intimate_ dance.

Sly, on the other hand, knew virtually nothing about dancing. And Carmelita could tell from the look on his face.

"You're really lucky I like you, man," said Sly, shaking his head and leaning back in the booth.

Artemis and Will smiled apologetically.

Interrupting the group, the waiter came back with the check and took away their desserts.

Will reached for the check and filled out the necessary blanks on the check and took out the right amount.

"Hey, Will, let me get half of that," Sly interjected quickly, before his panther friend could put down the money.

"Nah, Sly, I got it."

"Please, I insist," the raccoon persisted, already getting out his wallet and handing Will half of the amount for the dinner.

Will shrugged and took it, putting half his money back in his wallet. "Thanks, man."

Sly shrugged modestly.

_At least he has manners._

"I'm going to head to the restroom," Artemis announced, getting up from the table and heading where she said.

"Me too, I'll be right back," Will promised, standing up as well.

An awkward silence fell over the table. When Carmelita stole a glance at Sly, he was looking at her and smiling mischievously.

"What are you looking at, Cooper?" demanded Carmelita, crossing her arms.

"Oo, using last names, are we, Ms. Fox?" Sly teased. "And I'm looking at a fox who is really quite gorgeous."

Carmelita narrowed her eyes. "Just because our friends are getting married and we have to dance together, doesn't make us friends," she grumbled.

"Ouch. That hurts," Sly replied dramatically, putting a hand to his heart. "It hurts right here."

The Interpol agent flicked her tail in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Ringtail."

"'Ringtail?' Oh, I like it."

A short silence befell the two before Sly broke it again. "So, Ms. Fox, what do you do?"

Still skeptical of his motives, Carmelita responded hesitantly. "I'm an Inspector for Interpol."

She saw his eyes widen in panic momentarily but it quickly vanished as he made his features neutral. "_Inspector_ Fox! How lovely."

"And what, _might I ask_, do you do?"

"Oh, nothing much. You wouldn't be interested, trust me," Sly answered, sending a wink her way.

Before she could retort or ask any further questions, both Artemis and Will came back.

"Shall we go?" questioned Artemis, looking at Carmelita.

"Yes, please. I'm exhausted," she responded, standing from the table and making her way out the door of the restaurant with her Irish friend.

Getting in the car and putting it in reverse, Carmelita sighed heavily.

_This is going to be a long couple of months._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know, I know, hostesses in restaurants usually say "Right this way" and then guide you to your table, but for this I had to have the person <strong>**_tell_**** Carmelita where to go so she could bump into Sly. Also, I based the layout of this Outback on the one near me.**

**The second time Sly and Carm bump into each other, I originally had her saying "I am ****_so_**** sorry!" but I felt that wasn't her. ****_Especially_**** not the second time bumping into the same person.**

**So, Will and Artemis are getting married and they asked Sly and Carm to be the Best Man and Maid of Honor (respectively)! Let me know how you feel about the whole thing and what you think is gonna happen with a review!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and stayed tuned for next week's installment of: "From Strangers to Dance Partners"!**

**(Sorry, had to be done)**


	3. Lecture from the Gang

**AN: ****Nice to see you all again! This next week will be really busy for me, so I may have to postpone the update this week. I'm not quite sure when I'll be able to get it up, but I'll probably have it written. I'm first going to my friend's house today until Thursday, then I'm coming home and then going straight to a cabin in PA where I won't have wifi. So, yeah.**

**I realize that I never really clarified what month it was. So, here: it's around the middle of August and the wedding is in the beginning of December. (Artemis and Will hadn't locked down a date, so that's why they said either end of Nov. or beginning of Dec.)**

**This is sort of a filler chapter. Also, Bentley and Murray make an appearance this chapter! Yaay!**

* * *

><p><em>Oh shit. Oh,<em> shit! Sly thought to himself.

Not only did he have to do a tango and _not know anything about dancing_, but he also had to dance it with a _cop_ he just so happened to be attracted to!

He was _screwed_.

But, he wasn't going to show that, because Sly Cooper forever remains chill under any circumstance. Besides, he had Bentley to freak out about all this stuff.

"Calm down, Bentley. It'll be _fine_," said Sly. Sitting opposite him was Bentley, who was showing all the tell-tale signs of anxiety: his eyes kept darting around the room, his leg was bouncing up and down, and he was drumming his fingers on the table. Sitting next to Bentley was Murray, who was happily eating the meal he ordered.

They were in a small café in a secluded part of town so they could eat without running the risk of being recognized by cops. The gang had met there, so when Sly dropped the bomb about the wedding (the dancing part; Bentley and Murray were very happy for Will and Artemis), Bentley instantly started freaking out.

"How can you know for sure, Sly? I mean, she's a _cop_ for heaven's sake! She could _easily_ figure out what you do in your spare time. All she really needs to do is ask about any recent robberies and - BAM - we're busted!" Bentley said quietly.

Sly shrugged and twirled his cane. "We'll just have to make sure that she's really busy with _other_ stuff at work so we can make sure she's not curious. A little of your hacking magic, and we can be in the clear."

"But what if she _does_ get curious? What if she _asks_ someone about recent robberies and gets a file? What then? We can't hack paper that's already printed," argued the small turtle.

"Bentley _does_ have a point, Sly," Murray said, finally getting in the conversation.

The raccoon sighed, knowing he was outnumbered, but still standing firm on the notion that they should stay calm. "Then I'll just be extra careful around her. If worst comes to worst, I can alway bolt."

"Besides," he continues, "all the cases about us won't give much away. No one's ever actually _seen_ us before. It's all speculation."

Bentley shakes his head and sighs. "Alright."

Sly smiled at his friend.

"But don't say I didn't warn you, Sly," the brains of their operation added.

The master thief held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, if anything like that actually happens, you have my full permission to say 'I told you so,'" he assured.

Bentley gave a wry smile. "Can I get this in writing, please?"

At this comment, Sly chuckled.

* * *

><p>The next two months went along smoothly. Artemis and Will made decisions about the wedding. Like where it would be, when it would be, who else was invited, etc.<p>

And as for Sly and Carmelita, life went on.

Carmelita busted criminals in the morning and would go home to help Artemis with the wedding at night. They already picked out a dress and it was currently being altered for the big day.

Sly continued to pull heists with the gang and also help Will with things for the wedding.

There was really no need for their dance lessons to start yet, as the wedding was still two months away.

In a couple of days, Artemis, Carmelita, and the rest of the bridal party to go and pick out dresses for them.

Then, in a few more weeks, the dancing lessons for the fox and the raccoon would start. Carmelita already knew how to dance, so the lessons were more for Sly and to get her used to partnering with him.

* * *

><p>Carmelita yawned as she opened the door to her shared apartment, having just finished a hard day of work.<p>

When she had locked the door behind her, she turned around and went straight to her room. She then changed into pajamas and walked back into the TV room.

Already on the couch was Artemis, looking at things for the wedding.

"Hey, Art. Wanna watch a movie?" she asked, knowing that the Irishwoman deserved a little break from the non-stop decision making.

Sighing in relief and shutting the the book she was looking at, Artemis replied. "I'd love to. You pick the movie, I'll make the popcorn?"

"Sounds like a plan," answered Carmelita, walking over to their DVD cabinet and sitting down as her roommate walked into the kitchen.

As she was shuffling through the cases, she heard the microwave and distinct sound of popping kernels.

"Hey, don't forget that we're going dress shopping on Saturday," Artemis called from the kitchen.

"Aye, I won't, lassie," said Carmelita, mocking her friend's accent.

"Don't mock me, hun."

Carmelita laughed at the sassy tone in her friend's voice.

"Oh, also, your dance lessons with Sly start soon," the snow leopard added.

Carmelita groaned loudly. "Don't remind me."

"I honestly don't know what you're complaining about. Sly's nice and not to mention _extremely_ good looking," responded Artemis, coming into the room with the bowl of popcorn and sitting on the couch. "Still not as attractive as Will, but I think I'm a bit biased."

"Whatever," grumbled Carmelita. "He's still an ass."

"That's one cute arse," teases Artemis.

Carmelita snorted at her friend's words.

Then, picking a movie, she grabbed it and stood up, walking to the DVD player and popping it in.

"What're we watching?" questioned Artemis.

"You'll see," the fox answered mysteriously, turning the TV on and sitting on the couch.

As the previews played, Carmelita allowed her mind to wander.

She really hoped Sly would tone down the flirting. It would just make dancing with him that much more unbearable.

Although, it was sort of... Flattering, in a way. The fact that Sly flirts with her so shamelessly shows that he's at least a _little_ bit interested in her.

Unless he does this with every woman he meets...

Carmelita frowns at the thought.

Being brought back to reality by the main menu of the disc playing and Artemis' laughter, she smiles.

"Do you like my choice?" Carmelita asks sarcastically, already knowing it was one of Artemis' favorites.

"You know I _adore_ 'Aladdin!'"

Carmelita chuckled and pressed "play," setting the remote on the coffee table and tucking her feet under her.

All throughout the movie, the two women sung along with the songs they knew by heart through watching the movie many, many times. They weren't the _best_ singers in the world but, hey, it was all in good fun.

* * *

><p>When the end credits rolled, Artemis sighed contentedly. Getting up, she stretched and took the empty popcorn bowl to the kitchen.<p>

At the same time, Carmelita turned off the TV, popped the disc out, put it back in the case, and put the case back in the cabinet.

Placing the bowl in the sink, the bride-to-be yawned. "I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted."

"Same here," agreed Carmelita, getting up and following Artemis down the hallway to their bedrooms.

"'Night, Carm," said Artemis, stepping into her room.

"'Night," responded the blue-haired fox, stepping into her own room which was across the hall from Artemis'.

Carmelita snuggled into her bed, her nice warm blankets covering her.

As she drifted off to sleep, her mind couldn't help but turn to thoughts of a certain brown-eyed raccoon and what it was going to be like dancing with him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So sorry it's so short, guys! (Also I'm INCREDIBLY sorry for not posting until now. I had it done Saturday, but I wanted to wait until today and then I had to clean and shit and then I was hanging with my friend, so yeah. Forgive me?) But, as I said at the top, this was more of a filler chapter and a chapter to express a time jump.<strong>

**Next chapter will be dress shopping and the first dance lesson!**

**_Oo!_**

**_Aa!_**

**I'm not quite sure when the next update will come, but I promise I'll get it up ASAP!**

**Oh, almost forgot! Disclaimer: I do not own Aladdin, Disney does (I don't even own the DVD, which is sad). Nor do I own any recognizable characters from the Sly Cooper games.**

**'Till next time!**


	4. Dance Partners at Last

**AN: So so sorry for the long wait. I didn't get back until the 31st and was exhausted, so I waited until now to upload. Also, I didn't realize that some of my family was coming. I'm incredibly sorry.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, you guys!**

**Carmelita's dress: . **

**Other dresses' color: . **

**Just type those into your browser and delete the spaces, or check it out on my profile!**

* * *

><p>There was an owl. A giant owl. It was made entirely out of metal.<p>

And it was coming for her.

It's hate-filled eyes burned their way into her soul. She was aiming her shock pistol at it, unafraid on the outside, but internally scared to death.

But she was an Interpol agent. She would never falter. Never back down.

It was coming closer. It really was terrifying.

Just a bit closer, and she could shoot it.

As it was flapping it's wings harder, fighting to get to her, a metallic screech sounded from it's beak.

_Now! _She pulled the trigger.

_Click!_

Nothing.

_Click click click!_

It was jammed? Aw, hell.

The owl was too close. She wasn't going to make it. This was really how she was going out? What a shame.

She closed her eyes, preparing for impact.

Right before the bird slammed into her, a figure dove from her left, knocking them and her to the ground and out of the owl's range.

She opened her eyes to see a man hovering over her.

"Carmelita, are you alright?" he asked, brushing her hair to the side of her face, a tender look on his face.

"Sly..." she responded, dazed.

"Carmelita," he said again, his voice slightly different.

"Carmelita?" This time, the voice was... Feminine. And... Irish?

"Carmelita!" called the voice.

Snapping awake, the fox sat up. "Wha...?"

"We're here, hun," said her snow leopard roomie.

"Where?" asked Carmelita, not all the way awake yet.

"The dress shop, Carm. Are you alright?" Artemis asked, clearly highly concerned.

Then, as her mind came back to her, Carmelita nodded. "Right, right. We're shopping for bridesmaids dresses."

And yeah, I'm fine... I was just having a strange... Dream," Carmelita added, not wanting to worry her friend.

Artemis stated at her friend, a concerned look on her face. "Okay. If you say so."

"C'mon. Let's go get some dresses," insisted Carmelita.

Artemis smiled and nodded.

* * *

><p>After they went into the dress shop and gave the appointment name, they had to wait for the other women to show up.<p>

The fox and snow leopard waited on the couch in the lobby area.

The first to arrive was a friend of Artemis' that lived in Wales. She was a beautiful tigress that had a slight purple tint to her fur and black hair.

"Neyla!" exclaimed Artemis in her Irish lilt, seeing her walk in. "It's so great to see you!"

"Arty! It's wonderful seeing you, too, love!" replied the other woman.

The two friends hugged each other. When they pulled away, Neyla turned to Carmelita. "And who's this?" she asked, speaking to Artemis.

"I'm Carmelita. Fox," Carmelita spoke for herself, extending her hand for the tigress to shake.

"Yes, I can see that you're a fox...," said Neyla, glancing at Carmelita's extended hand before taking it and shaking.

"Uh, no, Fox is my last name," the vixen answered awkwardly, releasing the handshake.

"Ah... I see."

"So!" interrupted Artemis, sensing the tension between her two friends, "How've you been, Neyla, dear?"

Looking away from Carmelita, Neyla sat on the couch and turned to Artemis. "Well, you remember my old boyfriend, John?"

Carmelita sort of zoned out the two cats as they caught up with each other. She didn't particularly want to listen about how Neyla dumped John and then immediately started "snogging" Arthur because the sexual tension between the two of them was "Just. So. _Unbearable_."

Eye roll.

Besides, the blue-haired cop had other things to worry about. Like the case she got the other day.

It had seemed like another typical robbery, but the robber was never detected. All that was left in the empty safe was some sort of calling card.

For some reason, the victim burned the card before the police could get a hold of it. So, they really didn't even have that.

The perp slipped in and slipped out quickly and silently. No sign of forced entry and no prints left.

Clearly, Interpol was dealing with a pro.

Carmelita was dragged from her thoughts by the sound of her name.

"Hm?" she asked, looking up. Both Artemis and Neyla were looking at her, the former with a concerned look and the latter with an unamused look.

"What kind of dress do you think you want?" Artemis repeated.

Carmelita shrugged. "Whatever the bride wants," she said, smiling.

Artemis smiled at Carmelita and then turned to address them both.

"Well, the colors for our wedding are emerald green and electric blue. So, I'll probably have the Maid of Honor's dress be emerald green because you already have the blue hair, Carm. The other bridesmaids dresses will be electric blue. All the same style."

"That sounds awesome, Art," commented Carmelita.

Artemis then went on to describe the details of the wedding until the rest of the group started to trickle in one by one.

When everyone had arrived, a consultant walked up to the group and told them to follow her.

After getting Artemis' ideas, the consultant walked off to find some dresses. Coming back with a few, the girls went to the dressing rooms and tried them on.

* * *

><p>Many dresses and a few eye rolls from Carmelita later, they decided on a dress.<p>

The dress was tight-fitting at the top with a sweetheart neckline. The bottom of the dress flared out. It flattered all of the bridesmaids and it was gorgeous, so everyone agreed to wear them. Even Neyla, who had been highly opinionated throughout the appointment.

Sighing in relief at the fact that this was over, Carmelita changed back into her clothes along with the others.

Artemis was called into another room to confirm the sizes and colors of the dresses and the date of the wedding, so most of the girls left.

It was just Neyla and Carmelita in the waiting room.

Because Carmelita didn't really want to have to deal with the purple-ish tigress, she decided to wait outside.

The vixen didn't really understand why Neyla didn't just leave. Carmelita couldn't because she rode here with Artemis.

Whatever.

There was a bench against the building on the sidewalk, so Carmelita sat down.

Taking out her phone, Carmelita looked down at it to check if she had any messages.

"Fancy meeting you here," said a voice.

Carmelita's head whipped up, not believing her ears. "Oh my god."

For there, standing right on the sidewalk in front of her, was Sly Cooper.

"What are you even _doing_ here?" questioned Carmelita, a bit annoyed by the fact that he seems to be popping up everywhere she is.

Maybe he's stalking her...

"Ouch. Why you gotta be so harsh, Carm?" he replied, sliding onto the bench beside her.

In response, she slid farther away.

"I'm asking a question! Excuse me for being freaked out that you seem to be _stalking_ me."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not stalking you. I was just walking by here and your gorgeous, unmistakable blue hair caught my eye," he answered, throwing in a compliment to see if he could calm her down.

It... _Sort_ of worked.

Carmelita rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Just as the word came from her mouth and she heard an answering chuckle from Sly, she heard the bell on the store's door ding.

Seeing Carmelita look over and dread cross her face, Sly curiously looks over as well.

Carmelita watched as Neyla sauntered over, her hips swaying.

"So, Carmelita, who's your mate here?" she asked, sitting down much too closely to Sly, never taking her eyes off the raccoon. Sly's eyes widened and Carmelita took that as a "_wow-she's-so-pretty_" eye-widen.

(It wasn't really.)

Carmelita shoved her phone in her pocket, rolled her eyes, and stood up. "Oh, this is Sly. Sly Cooper. Now you two have fun," she answered, starting to walk off.

Sly stood up. "Carmelita, wait! I, uh," he started, looking at Neyla then back to Carmelita, "I wouldn't want to push you from your spot. You were here first, after all."

Carmelita turned around, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, Sly, don't worry about her. I'm sure she'll be fine," said Neyla, tugging his arm so he was sitting again. She then moved so she was practically sitting in his lap.

For the second time in a span of a minute, Carmelita rolled her eyes.

Neyla had one hand on his chest and the other lightly grabbed his chin, tilting it so he was looking at her. His breath hitched at the proximity; it was _much_ too close. But, he'd keep his cool. He always kept his cool.

Tongue darting from her lips to wet them, the purple tigress looked up at him from under her lashes, a smile crawling it's way onto her features. "I'm Neyla, by the way."

Carmelita glared.

"It's lovely to meet you Neyla," he said, holding her eyes with his own and giving a charming smile. At this, Neyla's smile turned positively _predatory_.

"But I really must be going." Sly took Neyla's wrists in his hands and pushed them away. He slid farther from her, creating the appropriate boundary.

Standing up and walking so he was in front of Carmelita, he glanced at Neyla. "It was great seeing you around, Carm," he softly said, seeing the glare on the vixen's face.

"Whatever. Just get out of here, Ringtail."

"See you at the wedding, Sly," Neyla purred, placing her arms so that her breasts seemed bigger. Sly looked back at her.

The charming thief in him slipped out as he sent her a wink. She giggled and Carmelita crossed her arms over her chest.

Just as Sly crossed the busy street, Artemis came out of the store, huffing in exasperation. "Sheesh. They asked so many questions!"

Then, she fell silent as she observed her two friends. One looked smug and the other angry and... Disappointed? Huh.

Blue catching her eye, the Irish snow leopard looked across the street and saw Sly.

Is that what this was about?

"Carm? Neyla? What happened while I was in there?"

"Oh, nothing, Arty, dear. I just had a little fun," Neyla said, standing up from the bench, tail flicking.

Artemis looked skeptically between Neyla and Carmelita, who still refused to meet her gaze.

"Bye Artemis. Bye _Carm_," said the tigress, smirking and walking off to her car.

The bride-to-be was confused at Neyla's condescending tone.

"Carmelita?"

"What? Let's get going," Carmelita sighed, grabbing her purse and walking to the car.

Needless to say, the car ride home was silent.

* * *

><p>Carmelita woke up to her alarm blaring.<p>

Realizing what day it was, Carmelita groaned.

Today, just two days after the "_Dress Shop Incident_," was the day of her and Sly's first dance lesson.

Oh, how she was dreading it.

Taking a shower and then putting on workout clothes, Carmelita walked into the kitchen. After eating a small, light breakfast and nursing her cup of coffee, she was ready to go.

Carmelita grabbed her keys, calling a quick goodbye to her roommate.

She heard an answering, "Please _try_ to get along!" and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mother," she responded teasingly.

Pulling her curly hair into a ponytail, the blue-haired vixen walked out the door and to her car.

On her drive, she tried to keep a certain raccoon and tigress from her mind.

* * *

><p>Unsurprisingly, Sly ended up being late. He was held up by an impromptu Cooper Gang meeting.<p>

He told Carmelita it was the traffic. She just rolled her eyes.

They walked through the lobby and into a room with a hardwood floor and a mirror completely covering one wall.

"Hello you two! My name is Natasha and this is my partner, Clint. We'll be your dance instructors for the duration of the next few months," said an orange tabby, stepping out into the middle of the room along with a golden retriever.

"Now, it may be hard, but Tasha and I believe in you... Even though we haven't really met," added Clint. "So, why don't we start with names?"

Carmelita smiled and stepped towards Natasha, who was standing closer to her. "I'm Carmelita Fox. Nice to meet you," she said, shaking both of their hands.

Following Carmelita's lead, Sly stepped forward as well, extending his hand. "Sly Cooper."

"Alright, Sly and Carmelita, before we get started, we need to ask a question," said Natasha.

They nodded.

"Do either of you have any experience?" asked Clint.

"I do. I've danced the tango a few times, as well as other styles," Carmelita answered honestly, but without coming across as arrogant.

Clint and Natasha nodded, turning their gaze to Sly.

They seemed to be really in sync... It was kind of creepy, yet cute.

"I've got no experience whatsoever," he answered cheerily, a goofy smile on his face.

Clint laughed. "Could you walk around in a circle for us real quick?"

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

"Alright," Sly shrugged, doing as the retriever asked.

When he had stopped in his original place, he saw Natasha nodding. "He's light on his feet. That'll be good," she said to Clint.

"Now," she said, clapping her hands together, "for the basics."

"In a tango, your steps must be smooth and your pauses must be sharp. If you falter once, the entire dance will be ruined," continued the tabby.

Sly scratched the back of his head. _Uh-oh_.

"There's also open-embrace tango, where lead and follow keep a short distance between their entire bodies throughout the dance, and close-embrace, where their chests are touching," informed Clint, looking between the two.

Sly hoped it would be open-embrace so Carmelita wouldn't end up killing him.

"We will be teaching you close-embrace."

_Shit!_

"There are many, many different _styles_ of the tango. The one you guys will be learning is called the 'tango canyengue,'" the dog explained.

"This style has the dancers dancing in a closed embrace, as I said before, sharing one axis with the legs relaxed and slightly bent."

"It's main characteristics are it's musicality and playfulness and the rhythm is described as being 'incisive, exiting, and provocative,'" he finished.

Carmelita and Sly exchanged a glance, the former glaring at the latter as if to say, "_Don't get any ideas, Ringtail._"

"Therefore, there must be passion and chemistry between the partners. Chemistry is _key_. Without chemistry, the dance will not be right," explained Natasha.

"Oh, I think we've got plenty of that," Sly mumbled loud enough for Carmelita to hear, a smirk plastered on his face.

After a quick slap in the back of the head from Carmelita, Sly shuts up.

Natasha looks between the two. "There will be complex footwork involved, as well as some lifts and dips."

Carmelita nodded, expecting as much.

Sly looked Carmelita up and down. Yeah, she should be easy to lift.

Probably taking it as Sly checking her out, Carmelita glared daggers at the raccoon.

Clint and Natasha shared an amused look.

"Okay! Now that all the words are over with, it's time to get started on the action!" exclaimed Clint.

"Nat and I will run through it all the way first, and then we'll teach you how to do it, step by step."

The fox and the raccoon nodded, taking a seat on the edge of the floor, sitting against the wall.

Natasha pressed the "play" button on the boom-box and the music started.

They watched, Sly in awe and Carmelita in admiration, as the couple showed them the routine, doing various turns and dips and lifts. There was so much passion and raw energy between the two. It was obvious they had been doing this together for quite some time.

When it was over, Natasha and Clint motioned for the two of them to get up.

Sly stood and offered a hand to Carmelita.

Glaring at his hand (Sly noticed she had been doing a _lot_ of glaring recently), Carmelita got up on her own.

As Sly watched Carmelita walk past him, he sighed frustratedly. "Oh, come on, Carm. You're not still mad about the other day, are you?"

"'Course I'm not. Why would I be? It's not like you're _mine_ or anything. Neyla had every right to flirt with you, and you with her," answered Carmelita calmly, stopping where she was and turning to face him.

Sly's heart skipped a beat. Oh, how he wished he was.

_Wait, what? Where the hell did _that _come from?_

Clint draped an arm around Natasha's shoulders. "Oo, this should be entertaining. Where's the popcorn?" he whispered.

Natasha elbowed Clint in the ribs, making his arm retreat along with a hiss of pain. "Shut up," she also whispered.

"Okay, then why do you keep glaring at me?" Sly asked, walking closer to her. "It's not like I made out with her in front of you or anything!"

"It's not _your_ actions that bothered me. And it would've been your choice if you 'made out with her,' which would've been fine by me," responded the blue-haired woman, putting air quotes around "made out with her."

He pretended not to be hurt that she wouldn't mind if he got with Neyla. "Carm, it was just harmless flirting. Well, on my part, at least," he added the last part uncertainly.

"I told you, I'm not mad."

"Well it sure as hell feels like it!"

"Okay, that's enough you two," Natasha intervened, sending the (sexual?) tension heighten. She heard Clint mumble something about it just getting to the good part. She ignored him.

"It's great that you two are resolving this little conflict, but you came here for dance lessons, not couples' therapy."

Now get in the starting position," she ordered.

The fox sighed and stepped closer to Sly, obeying the tabby woman's command.

"_Good_." Natasha spoke as if she were talking to children (because let's be honest: she sort of _was_).

"Now, Sly, take Carmelita's right hand in yours... Great! Put your left hand on her waist. And Carm, can I call you 'Carm?'"

After a nod from Carmelita, Nat continued.

"Carm, you put _your_ left hand on his left shoulder... Like that! _Perfect_."

When their hands were in the correct position, Natasha nodded. "Now step closer."

They glanced uncertainly at Nat before stepping a millimeter closer.

Clint rolled his eyes. "Chest to chest."

Sighing, they complied.

"Stop acting like school children and look each other in the eye! You'll have to do that for most of the dance anyway," scolded Clint.

Brown met brown as the two looked at each other. Carmelita had to tilt her chin up due to the height difference.

Sly's eyes sparkled with ever-present mischief and Carmelita's shone with anticipation.

"You know, Neyla has nothing on you," Sly remarked gently, looking into her eyes.

Carmelita blushed "Just shut it, Ringtail," she said, the usual harshness in her voice dulled.

Nat raised an eyebrow at this exchange. Oh, this should be easy. She could practically see the static zapping between the two.

When Natasha and Clint were in the same position as Sly and Carmelita, the instructors broke their trance.

"Now, follow our lead."

* * *

><p>After hours of doing the steps, getting critiques, then perfecting the steps, it was safe to say that Carmelita and Sly were <em>sufficiently<em> exhausted. And they only got through half of the routine!

"Okay, good work you guys! We'll pick up where we left off next week. Don't forget to practice," announced Clint as he and Natasha exited the room.

Carmelita was sitting on the floor, panting as Sly chugged his water bottle.

"You want some?" he offered, wiping his mouth.

"Yes, please," she answered, catching the tossed bottle and taking a sip.

Once she was properly hydrated, she tossed the bottle back to him, muttering a thanks.

Sly walked over to her, extending his hand to help her up. Hope and kindness shone in his eyes.

Carmelita looked between his hand, his face, and back again before placing her hand in his and allowing him to gently hoist her up.

"Thanks," she said.

Sly gave her a grin and released her hand. "No problem, partner."

Carmelita rolled her eyes, this time playfully.

Sly and Carmelita walked into the lobby and exited the building.

Carmelita got in her car and drove away.

Sly, however, sat there for a while, smiling. That certainly went better than expected.

(He couldn't wait for the next lesson.)

* * *

><p><strong>AN: End of chapter 4! Woo!<strong>

**Did you guys like my shoutout to Clintasha? XD Sorry, I just had to. I've been getting a lot of Clintasha feels, what with the Avengers: Age of Ultron coming! I also thought those two animals suit them best.**

**(I had to do so much research on the tango for this chapter x.x It was fun, but rather tedious.)**

**I apologize for any mistakes, I was semi-rushing to get this to you guys. PLEASE, I BEG YOU! Let me know if you see any errors!**

**Also, drop me a review to let me know what you think!**


	5. The Wedding

**AN: ****_I'M SO INCREDIBLY SORRY YOU GUYS! _****Words can't truly express just how sorry I am and I have no excuses except that I just lost inspiration for writing this story and fanfiction in general. (And I wasn't really sure how to end this story. Also, school started, so I've been having to deal with that as well x.x But other than that...) I hope you guys can forgive me.**

**I've been recently smacked straight in the face with inspiration, however! I went to Katsucon and I went as Carmelita (you can see photos on my DA or my tumblr, both of which are julietriversong) and on the second day, ****_WHICH WAS VALENTINE'S DAY_****(!), I saw a Sly. He was super sweet and cute and he winked at me and it messed me up, man. I wish I had gotten more couple-y photos but I was much too shy.**

**_SO SORRY IF THIS SUCKS ASS. I TRIED. I PROMISE I DID._**** Also, just a reminder that the bridesmaids dresses are on my profile!**

* * *

><p>Well, the day was finally here. The day of the wedding.<p>

After a couple more months of dance lessons with Clint and Natasha, a month of dress-fittings, and months of going over it all to make sure it would be _perfect._... The day of the wedding had arrived.

Everyone was already at the church. The guests were seated and the bride and groom in their respective rooms: away from each other.

In Will's room, Sly and the other groomsmen helped make sure their panther friend was in tip-top shape. The charismatic raccoon was making jokes to ease Will's nerves.

Meanwhile, in Artemis' room, the bridesmaids were putting finishing touches on their own make-up. Carmelita was already finished, so she was helping Artemis with her make-up and ensuring that the dress was completely and utterly white.

Artemis' tail was whipping back and forth.

"Art, calm down. You'll knock someone out with that thing," joked Carmelita after dodging her snow leopard friend's tail once again.

"Sorry, Carm. I'm just... Nervous," Artemis replied, looking at her friend.

"I know you are, but don't worry! Everything will go wonderfully." The Interpol agent really hoped her reassurance was not for nothing. It'd be a shame for this whole thing to go down the toilet after all the time and effort they put into it.

Artemis sighed heavily, looking at her friend. "But how do you know it will?" she asked, fiddling with her dress. Carmelita lightly smacked her hand away and sent her a warning look.

"Because you and Will love each other very much and you'd move mountains for each other. Therefore, whatever higher power is up there knows not to mess with this day," the fox said, smiling and fixing a stray curl. Artemis relaxed at Carmelita's words.

"You always know just what to say, Carm."

At this, the fox smiled. "Besides, I'm sure Mr. Winther is just as freaked out as you are," she teased with a nudge.

Artemis cracked a smile. "I hope not _too_ nervous." The girls laughed.

Meanwhile, in the groom's room, Will was... Pretty much freaking out.

"What if she doesn't like my suit? What if she doesn't want to marry me? _What if she doesn't love me?_" rattles the black panther, pacing the floor and growing more panicked by the sentence.

Sly was sitting in a chair, watching his friend pace with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously, Will? One, she helped you pick out the suit. Two, she said yes, didn't she? And three, you _know_ that's just complete and utter bullshit. She loves you to the moon and back and everyone can tell," the raccoon listed off, trying to ease his friend's worries.

The taller man paused in his pacing, turning to Sly. "I suppose you're right."

"You _suppose_?"

"Okay, okay, you're right," he conceded, holding up his hands in surrender. Sly smiled. Rarely was he on the receiving end of that gesture.

"Thank you," Sly said with a mock bow, standing and walking over to Will. "Now let me fix your suit, 'cause you screwed it up when you were pacing."

* * *

><p>Carmelita peeked out of the doors at the front of the church, looking at the people waiting. She smiled as she heard the gentle rustle of anticipation and the dull rumble of excited guests. The fox moved her gaze to the back of the church where the priest, Will, and all his groomsmen were. A quick glance to Sly told her that the panther had been nervous, for the raccoon kept glancing at his friend.<p>

Satisfied and seeing the organ player get into place, Carmelita stepped back and closed the door softly, turning to face the bride with a wide smile. "You ready, Art?"

"Ready," the Irish snow leopard said, voice shaky with anticipation as she adjusted her veil. Neyla, who had been standing idly by until now, rolled her eyes.

"Of course she's ready. She's right here, isn't she?" said the British woman. Carmelita just barely managed to hold her tongue.

"Right," agreed the off-duty Interpol agent, voice sickeningly sweet. Artemis glanced wearily between the two.

"Oi, no fighting on my wedding day, you two," she said, tail flicking. Carmelita held her hands up in innocent surrender. Neyla just rolled her eyes again.

Suddenly, the organ music started to play. The Irishwoman fidgeted excitedly. All of the bridesmaids got into the correct order, with Carmelita in front of Artemis and Neyla in front of her. Mr. O'Shea, Artemis' father, stepped up to the bride's side.

Neyla's black hair was styled into an elegant side braid with all the other bridesmaids having the same style. Carmelita's electric blue hair was pulled into a similar side braid, but with snowflakes that matched the ones on Artemis' dress stuck throughout her hair. She smoothed down the folds of her emerald green dress and took a look at the blue dresses of the other bridesmaids.

She took a deep breath and picked up the flowers she was supposed to carry as the doors open. The blue-haired woman held her head high as she watched the bridesmaids start to walk down the isle.

When it was her turn, she put on a smile, walking slowly and elegantly down the carpeted isle, her tail swaying gently along with her hips. Her heart swelled with pride for her friend as she took her place on the opposite side of the priest from Will and the groomsmen. She turned to look as Artemis started to walk down the isle, led by her father.

As the snow leopard reached about halfway, Carmelita looked back to Will. This was always her favorite part of the wedding; seeing the look on the groom's face. The look of pure love was always heart warming.

Movement caught her eye and she looked away from Will to his best man. To her surprise, the raccoon was also looking at Will, a gentle smile on his usually smirking face. At this, a smile to match Sly's made its way to her own face.

The brown-eyed raccoon flicked his eyes to meet Carmelita's, having felt her gaze on him. Seeing her smile, he grinned and winked before directing his attention back to the bride.

Inspector Fox blushed slightly at being caught before following Sly's example and looking back to Artemis.

The Irishwoman's father kissed her cheek and moved her hand to Will's, nodding firmly with a smile. Will nodded in return, thanking the older man with his eyes. Her father took his seat as Artemis handed her bouquet to Carmelita, a bright smile on both women's faces.

The _very _soon-to-be Mrs. Winther turned to face the panther, green eyes shining.

"We are gathered here today, to witness the joining of William Winther, and Artemis O'Shea," started the old priest.

* * *

><p>"I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride!" exclaimed the man, closing the book he held in his hands.<p>

Will took Artemis' veil and uncovered her face, the woman before him practically bouncing with excitement. When he started to lean down, she grabbed his collar and tugged him the rest of the way, causing the crowd to cheer loudly.

Carmelita smiled brightly at her friend's happiness. Sly chuckled.

The cheering continued while the bride and groom made their way back down the isle and out the doors to get ready for the reception, Artemis haven taken her bouquet back from Carmelita. All the guests stood and went behind them to the reception area to start getting food and finding their seats.

The brown-eyed fox sighed and stretched, handing her bouquet to the man who was taking them from the bridesmaids. She started to make her way down the isle.

About halfway down, she felt someone nudge her gently. When she looked over, she barely held back her groan.

"What, Ringtail?" she asked, almost tiredly.

Sly smiled at her, trying his best to not annoy her. "I was just wondering if you're nervous for the dance, beautiful," he said, feigning innocence. She chose to ignore the casual compliment.

"Eh, I guess. But only that_ you_'re going to mess up," Carmelita retorted, attempting to tease him.

Sly laughed at this, glad she was loosening up to him after the months. "Good to know you have so much faith in me," he said sarcastically.

She chuckled. "No problem, Ringtail." The nickname was slowly starting to loose its sharp edge, gaining a more affectionate meaning. Sensing this, Sly grinned at her.

Neyla suddenly came between the two, practically pushing Carmelita away. "Hi, Sly," she purred.

"Oh, hey, Neyla." Sly's tail flicked in annoyance, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Inspector Fox. She looked away so Neyla wouldn't see her laugh.

"So, what are you doing after the wedding?" asked Neyla, ignoring Carmelita all together. She slipped her arm into his, tugging him closer.

Shifting so he wouldn't fall over, he looked at the tigress. "Uh, probably collapsing on my bed from exhaustion," he said.

Carmelita held back another laugh.

Neyla, finally glancing to Carmelita and then back to Sly, faltered for a moment. But then she amped it up, pressing closer against him and smiling. "Oh. Well, mind if I join you?" she asked seductively.

Sly's eyebrows shot up at her forwardness. Carmelita's tail lashed.

Before Neyla could actually jump him right there, the other woman intervened. "Well, we have to go get ready for our dance, Neyla. So, if you'll excuse us."

Looking annoyed, Neyla opened her mouth to reply, "Actually-"

"-Thanks, you're too kind," Sly quickly said, cutting Neyla off and slipping out of her grasp. He grabbed Carmelita's wrist and dragged her to the room that had their change of clothes.

Once they were in the room, and the door was shut, Sly turned so his back was to the door. Carmelita stood in front of him, arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "Aw, and here I thought you were having fun," she teased.

Sly pushed off the door and rolled his eyes playfully, smiling. "Cute."

Carmelita laughed. "Okay, let's just get ready," she said, walking over to the small dress that was the same color as her Maid of Honor dress. It was just a bit shorter and had slits going up the sides so she could move more freely.

The raccoon watched her go, smiling. "As you wish," he said with a mock bow, also moving to his piece of clothing to put on. It was only a pair of dancing shoes and a en emerald green bowtie instead of a regular tie - he already had everything else that was needed.

Carmelita picked up her dress by the hanger and looked around.

"What are you looking for?" asked Sly, already sitting in a chair and taking off his shoes.

Her eyes flicked back to him. "Somewhere to change."

The honorable thief smiled. "Just change in here. I'll turn my back and I won't look, I promise," he assured, holding up his hands innocently.

Carmelita fidgeted, debating on what to do. After a moment, she sighed. "Alright. Turn around, Ringtail. And no funny business."

He nodded and turned his chair around and continued to put on his shoes. When Carmelita was sure he wasn't going to turn around, she unzipped the back of her dress and let it fall to the floor.

At the sound of the fabric moving, Sly stiffened slightly, but remained cool. He started to tie the laces on his left shoe.

The vixen took the dancing dress off of the hanger and stepped into it, pulling it up and putting her arms in the straps. She reached behind herself and zipped it as far as she could, but she couldn't zip it all the way. Internally debating once again, she huffed quietly and turned to Sly.

"Ringtail?"

"Hm?" he responded, just finishing tying his right shoe and sitting up straight. He didn't turn around, in case she was still getting dressed.

"Could you... Help me zip up my dress?" she asked sort of awkwardly, looking down.

Sly blinked in surprise and stood, turning to face her. "Oh, uh, yeah," he said, nodding.

She quickly turned so he didn't see her blush. Her tail was swaying back and forth nervously.

As he came to her, he noticed her tail. He didn't say anything, however, and just stepped close enough to reach the zipper.

He gently reached out, taking the zipper and pulling it up. As the zipper became more done up, it was pulling the fabric closer, and therefore his hand closer. Carmelita bit her lip as his fingers brushed her back.

"Sorry," he murmured, thinking he made her uncomfortable (it was quite the opposite). He finished zipping it all the way up, and now had to fasten the hooks. There was no avoiding it, so he skillfully ran his fingers along her back to grasp the different components, causing a shiver to go down her spine. He grinned and hooked them together, letting his hands fall to his sides as he stepped back.

Carmelita turned to face him, looking up into his face. "Thanks," she said softly, feeling as if she would break something if she were to raise her voice.

Sly reached out, tucking a stray strand of hair back into place, and brushing her cheek. She leaned into his touch lightly, still maintaining eye contact. "No problem," he responded, just as softly. He felt the same way. As if this moment was pivotal in their relationship.

When Carmelita blinked slowly and heavily, Sly swallowed, his eyes darting down to her lips and back to her face.

This didn't go unnoticed by the Interpol agent, and her heart seemed ready to jump from her chest.

"And here I thought you looked lovely in the Maid of Honor dress. In this thing, you're drop-dead gorgeous," he complimented sincerely, voice still soft and gentle.

She blushed, her own eyes darting down to his lips and back to his eyes.

_Knock, knock, knock._

And suddenly, the two were snapped from... Whatever it was that had its hold on them as the knocks resounded throughout the room.

Sly dropped his hand from her face and stepped back, both of them looking away from each other.

Clearing her throat, Carmelita looked at the door. "Yes?" she asked.

"Artemis told me to get you two and to tell you to go to the reception area before they make their entrance," came the voice of Artemis' father.

Carmelita bit her lip and walked to the door, opening it with a smile plastered to her face. "Right. Let's go, Sly," she said, stepping out of the door as Mr. O'Shea stepped to the side.

The raccoon's eyes flicked to her as she said his name. His _real name_. He cleared his throat , shaking any... dangerous thoughts from his head, and followed after her with a grunt of acknowledgement.

Once they reached the reception hall, Neyla came to Sly and latched her arm through his, starting to rattle on about how he should come see this thing she found and about how she wished he could sit with her.

Sly sent an apologetic - almost longing - glance to Carmelita as he was dragged away. The vixen sighed and turned away from the two, grabbing her head and mentally berating herself for letting things get that tense.

She shook her head and took her seat at the head table, sitting in the spot with her name on it.

Suddenly, Artemis' dad's voice came through the speakers. "And now, here to share their first dance as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Winther!"

Everyone clapped and cheered as the couple came out, making their way to the dance floor. Carmelita got up and stood with the other people on the sides of the dance floor, watching the couple.

The slow, romantic music played and they started to slow dance, everyone smiling at the love being shared between them. Carmelita looked past the couple, to the other side of the dance floor and her eyes met with Sly's, Neyla still clinging to him.

Sly ducked his head, giving a sheepish smile. She shook her head and looked back to the bride and groom.

Her mind wandered, thinking about the dance that was soon to come.

Meanwhile, Sly sighed when Carmelita looked away. This went unnoticed by Neyla, who had his arm in a death grip. The raccoon looked down.

_Come on, Sly. She's a_ cop, _you're a _thief. _It'd never work out... It could put the gang in danger,_ he thought. He looked back up to Artemis and Will, watching them dance.

"This is so romantic, isn't it?" commented the British tigress, pulling his attention to her.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I suppose," he agreed half-heartedly, eyes and mind on Carmelita.

Neyla looked to his face, frowning when she saw his eyes weren't on her. When she followed his gaze, her scowl deepened. She turned back to him and directed his chin so his face was turned towards her. Sly blinked, uncomfortable at the thought of where this was headed.

"Sly," she purred seductively, "what do you say you and me get out of here after the wedding, hm?" She fluttered her eyelashes.

Sly's eyebrows shot up. "Erm, I'm flattered, really, but I-"

He's cut off by the sound of clapping, signaling the end of the dance. This momentarily grabbed Neyla's attention, as she released his chin to clap along. He let out a sigh of relief, stepping away from her.

Artemis grabbed the mic. "And now, if you'd all take your seats, the Maid of Honor and the Best Man are going to dance!" she announced cheerily. She set the mic back in its place and tugged Will to their places at the head table as everyone else took their seats as well. Neyla reluctantly went back to her own seat, leaving Sly and Carmelita as the two remaining people on the dance floor.

They moved towards each other, tails flicking. Sly bowed while Carmelita curtsied, this being part of the dance. He straightened and held out his hand. She took it and stepped closer to him, placing the other hand on his shoulder. He put his free hand around her waist, tugging her so they were flush, her breath hitching at the close proximity.

"I know I'm attractive, Ms. Fox, but please don't run out of air because of me," he flirted, attempting to lighten the mood.

She glared lightly. "You wish, Cooper."

And then, the music started to play. They immediately started to perform the moves taught to them, their feet stepping in time to the music.

Their tails swayed back and forth together, as if that were a part of the dance as well. They stepped and twirled in time, matching each other beat for beat, changing the steps only to spin her or lift her. The passion and chemistry only added to the whole experience, enchanting everyone watching.

As the two danced, it was as if they were expressing their feelings of frustration, passion, and want. They kept eye contact almost the entire time, the world outside the two of them slowly slipping away.

The closing notes of the dance started to play, and the two of them got ready for the big finale. Sly spun Carmelita a few times, her tail curling into herself. On the final note of the song, the raccoon wrapped an arm around her waist and one around her back and dipped her.

There they were; nose to nose, chests heaving so they lightly brushed one another, eyes searching each other's to see if the spark of passion was mutual. They were close enough that if he only leaned down a bit more...

The bride, the groom, and all other occupants of the room burst into enthusiastic applause and cheering, snapping the two out of their trance. Sly swung her back to her feet, their arms still around each other.

Reluctantly, they let go and stepped back from one another, Sly stepping to the side and bowing along with Carmelita.

When they straightened and made their way back to their seats - Sly on the left of Will and Carmelita on the right of Artemis so it went Sly, Will, Artemis, then Carmelita - the announcement was made to get more food and that the dance floor was open to all. The mic was set back into place and the music resumed, now being more modern songs.

The two sat, slightly dazed still. Their eyes moved to Artemis and Will as they started to talk.

"That was so amazing you guys, thank you!" said Artemis, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, that was really impressive," agreed Will.

Sly and Carmelita smiled and nodded. "Thanks," said the fox.

"You guys want something to eat?" asked Artemis. "The food's all in that buffet line."

Sly grinned. "Oh yeah, definitely," he said, already standing, plate in hand. He looked to Carmelita. "You coming?"

She met his gaze and nodded, looking away to pick up her plate as well. Artemis watched the two, sensing the shift in their relationship.

Sly and Carmelita made their way to the line of people, stomachs growling.

* * *

><p>By the time the wedding had ended and everyone had started to go home, Artemis, Will, the bridesmaids, and the groomsmen were thoroughly exhausted.<p>

Pictures had been fun, but it was filled with Neyla throwing hungry looks at Sly and Carmelita rolling her eyes.

One of the other bridesmaids had caught the bouquet and Will's brother had caught the garter.

Now it was just the bride, groom, Sly, Carmelita, and Neyla left. They were helping pack things up.

Of course Neyla had to be around Sly while she was helping, much to the annoyance of every party involved (except the tigress herself).

When they were all but done, the staff at the reception hall said they would get the rest. Gratefully Artemis accepted and the remaining people went to stand outside while Artemis and Will changed into more comfy clothes to get ready for their honeymoon.

Sly and Neyla were sitting on a stone bench by the parking lot with Carmelita standing beside it. The British woman was cozied up to Sly.

"You danced so beautifully, Sly. And you seem to be so flexible and graceful. Lots of stamina too," Neyla commented suggestively, running her hand along his arm. The raccoon shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh, thanks...," he said uneasily. The vixen's tail lashed back and forth, her annoyance growing.

"No problem, love," she responded, smiling coquettishly.

Carmelita rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest, Neyla. He's obviously not interested," she practically growls, having been fed up with her shameless flirting for a while.

Neyla's eyes narrowed as she turned them to Carmelita. "Don't speak for him, Ironsides," she spat back, glaring daggers.

The Interpol agent, having dealt with much scarier men than her, was simply amused. "Same goes for you. How can you be so blind? He obviously is made uncomfortable by your flirting, so maybe give it a rest, yeah?" she retorted.

Sly stiffened between them.

Neyla stood and came in front of Carmelita. "It's not your place to speak for him," she said, tail lashing.

The blue-haired woman kept her cool. "Nor is it yours."

"Just because you're jealous that _I'm_ pretty and _you_'re not, and_ I_ can get a man and _you _can't, doesn't mean you have to be a bitch about it," the tigress yells.

Carmelita's eyes narrow at this, the words barely scraping the armor she's built up against words just like these. Before she can open up her mouth to respond, the raccoon beside her stood, stepping in front of Carmelita which forced Neyla back a step.

"That's enough, Neyla," Sly said, voice uncharacteristically firm and serious. "She's right. Your advances are making me uncomfortable. And so is your attitude towards Carmelita." The fox blinked at this, surprised that he was defending her.

Neyla stomped, growling in frustration. "You two are just idiots! If you want ol' Ironsides here instead of me, then fine! Be my guest," she spat.

Suddenly someone cleared their throat and Neyla whipped around. There, standing behind her, was a very angry-looking Artemis.

"Neyla, I don't appreciate you talking to my friends like that," the Irishwoman said, eyes narrowed.

The scrutinized woman's eyes widened. "What? No, you came at the wrong time...," she attempted to place the blame on them, though she trailed off when she noticed all three pairs of eyes were glaring.

"Aw, to hell with it. None of you are worth it," Neyla snapped, stomping off to her car and driving away.

Artemis turned to Carmelita when Neyla was out of sight, her eyes softening. "I'm so sorry, Carm. I had no idea she was that mean to you."

Carmelita shrugged. "It's all good."

Sly still held a frown on his face. Noticing this, Carmelita stood and placed a hand gently on his arm. "I'm fine, I promise," she assured, looking at his face. His own chocolate-brown eyes scanned hers for anything that would tell him otherwise and found none.

"Alright," he conceded, relaxing. She smiled and nodded, looking back to Artemis as Will came to join them.

The panther looked between the three, confused. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"I'll fill you in on the drive, dear," said Artemis, chuckling slightly.

At this, Carmelita smiled. "Have fun you two," she said.

Sly smirked. "But not too much fun," he added with a wink.

"No promises," responded Will with a sly grin. Artemis turned red and smacked him. "William!"

Sly and Carmelita laughed.

The four friends talked for a short while more before Artemis and Will said their goodbyes, hopping into a car labeled "just married," and driving down the road.

Carmelita sighed as she watched them disappear. She turned and blinked, finding Sly's gaze on her.

"You are beautiful, you know that, right?"

His words caught the woman by surprise. "Yes, I do," she responded after a moment, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"And you also realize that lots of men were looking at you tonight, as much as I wish they weren't?" His eyes searched hers, the sincerity and kindness clearly found within them.

The blush deepened at his tone. "W-Were they? I hadn't noticed."

He stepped closer to her, tucking a stray hair once again back into place. "Just don't take what Neyla said to heart. You're the most gorgeous woman I've seen, both personality wise and looks wise, next to my mother," he admitted softly, letting his hand drop to his side.

Carmelita felt the butterflies erupt in her stomach, startled to silence by the raccoon's loving words. "Ringtail..."

Sly gave a lopsided grin. "I'm serious."

"I-I can tell...," she breathed out. She made a split-second decision and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close. His arms found the small of her back and he sighed contentedly.

"Thank you," she murmured into his ear, a shiver going down his spine at the feeling of her warm, soft breath.

"Any time, gorgeous," he responded in the same tone.

They leaned back so their arms were still wrapped around each other, eyes shining and hearts leaping. His eyes darted down to her lips. She bit her lip.

He looked back to her eyes, his pupils larger. "Carmelita?"

"Hm?" she asked softly.

He didn't say anything more. Instead, he started to lean forward, his lips attracted to hers like magnets of the opposite charge.

"Excuse me!" called a voice, once again interrupting the two. They jumped apart, both frustrated.

Sly looked to his feet, tail flicking. He looked back to Carmelita. The vixen turned to the voice; it was one of the staff.

"Yes?" she asked.

"We believe this is the bride's?" the man said, holding up a decoration that was on the main table.

She shook her head. "No, it's not. But I can take it anyway," she responded, tail swaying. The staff member nodded and handed her the decoration before turning and walking off.

The vixen took the object and turned towards her car, not meeting Sly's gaze. He followed her to her car and watched as she put the decoration in her trunk.

"So, I'll see you around, I guess," Sly said after a bit, looking at her hopefully. She finally managed to pull her gaze to his and smiled awkwardly, nodding.

"Yeah. See ya, Cooper," she said in return, unlocking her car and sliding into the front seat. The raccoon made his way to the car he rented, sighing.

Carmelita pretended to fidget with the settings in her car until Sly was out of sight. She then lightly smacked her forehead into her steering wheel.

_So stupid, Carmelita..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, so there's that! After many many <strong>**_MANY_**** months, I've finally got it all up. Sorry for the teasers XD Also, holy crap was this a long chapter...**

**There will probably be one more chapter (which won't be as long as this one, I don't think... we'll have to see) and possibly an epilogue. They've got to finally have their kiss! And halfway through writing this chapter (I had planned on making this the last one) I realized that Carmelita doesn't know that Sly's a thief ^~^' So hopefully I'll resolve that in the next chapter which I'll start working on ASAP, while I still have the inspiration.**

**Till next time!**


	6. The Final Heist

**AN: Ugh, my god. I'm ashamed. I can't say anything I haven't already said, so I'm just gonna leave it at I'm sorry. Truly.**

**Hey, who's excited about the Sly Cooper movie coming out? I know I am! They just let out some more info! It's been said that the voices of Bentley and Murray will be the same, but Sly will be voiced by Ian James Corlett, though the cast list isn't official yet. It'll be based around the time of the first game, so Carmelita and Clockwerk will be in it as well! Yaaay! I really hope they don't screw up Carmelita (aka make her like in the 4th game). I also imagine Clockwerk to sound like Ultron from "Avengers" (which was super kickass, btw. Minus, you know... Brutasha *shudder*) but more metalic-y sounding? Cuz they're really similar. Except Ultron is more snarky hate while Clockwerk is just plain burning hatred. *shrug* I dunno, I'm pumped tho. (Early 2016!)**

**Alrighty, last chapter you guys! I'm sad to see this coming to an end (but then again, also really happy XD).**

* * *

><p>He remembers that it hurt.<p>

Seeing their grave stones _hurt_.

He was only a small child, and yet there he was; looking at the grave markers of his parents - his loving parents - and realizing that he was alone. Never again were they going to tuck him in at night or sing him a lullaby after a nightmare. They wouldn't even get to see him grow up.

And so maybe this didn't hurt as bad as when the realization of him being an orphan finally sunk in. But it sure as hell hurt pretty badly.

It had been down time: no heists to pull, no more wedding to worry about. Needless to say, Sly Cooper was bored. So, he decided to go for a walk. Make sure he wasn't letting himself get rusty.

The raccoon flew across the rooftops, balancing on ropes and swinging around poles with his trusty cane. Gradually, his mind wandered to the wedding. More specifically to the not one, but _two_ almost-kisses he had [almost] shared with the lovely vixen.

_If only that staff member hadn't interrupted us_, Sly thought dejectedly. He then heaved a sigh. _Who am I kidding?_ _It'd be_ _best_ _if we didn't try to start anything_...

Regardless of his train of thought, he found his body taking him in the direction of the police station.

Alright, so maybe what he was doing could technically be considered stalking, but he didn't see it that way. No, no. More like... Looking out for a friend.

And that was where he saw it. The heart-breakingly beautiful Interpol agent doing just that - breaking his heart.

Okay, so _maybe_ that was a _bit_ of an exaggeration. And _maybe_ he sounded a _bit_ like a stereotypical love-sick teenaged girl, no worse than Twilight. But still...

Carmelita was in her office, sitting at the desk. A handsome wolf was leaning in the doorway, a kind smile on his face. The two seemed to be laughing and relaxed.

Sly's eye is drawn to the assortment of flowers on her desk, as well as a box of chocolates. Picking up the flowers, Carmelita smelled them. He couldn't see her face, but he was pretty sure she didn't make a face of disgust, as her wolf companion's dopey grin widened.

Heaving a sigh, the honorable raccoon shook his head, silently wishing the two the best of luck. Almost as if in defeat, Sly turned and scampered off across the rooftops.

* * *

><p>Carmelita plastered on her best plastic smile, making a show of leaning over and smelling the flowers her coworker had gotten her.<p>

"Mm, Mason, they smell so nice," she said appreciatively. And they did, really. Her heart just... Wasn't in it.

Mason's already goofy grin widened.

"I'm glad you like them. And I hope the chocolates are to your liking as well," he said back, fishing for approval.

The vixen's tail flicked uncomfortably, but she just kept smiling. "Yes. They seem like they'll be perfect for a night in," joked Carmelita, hoping to steer the discussion away from where it was most likely heading.

The other detective shifted by the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly (oh the irony). "Actually, about that."

_Oh no._

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out for coffee sometime? Like, a date?" he asks, looking at her hopefully.

Now, Mason was a relatively nice guy. He just didn't happen to be for Carmelita.

She gives a regretful smile. "I'm sorry, Mason, but I'd rather not. You're a great guy, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now." She fed him the same line she has given to all the men to ask her out in the past... Well, for a really long time.

Mason's face falls. "Ah, that's alright. Best of luck to ya, and enjoy the flowers and chocolates while they last," he said with a small smile. At least he was being polite about it. Which was certainly more than could be said for some of the other men to ask her out.

Giving him a genuine smile, Inspector Fox nods. "Will do, Mason. Thanks."

He gave one last nod before turning and exiting the room.

Now alone, the woman sighed and looked at the flowers. One was blue. _Like Sly's favorite shirt_, she passively thought to herself.

Then, realizing what she just thought, the fox groaned and smacked her face onto her desk, willing the aforementioned raccoon to leave her mind.

* * *

><p>When Sly got back to the safe house, he was informed of the new heist they had to pull. As Bentley was explaining the plan, Sly's thoughts drifted.<p>

"-and then Sly will-! Sly...? Sly, are you listening?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I am. Murray will create a distraction in the ballroom while I...?" He trailed off, indicating that that was how far Bentley got.

The turtle narrowed his eyes, but continued. "You'll sneak through the air vents, which have an entrance on the outside of the building. I'll direct you through the correct paths to get to the room with the artifact," explained Bentley, flipping through the pictures in his slide show.

Murray and Sly nod, keeping up so far.

"Okay. If everything goes as planned, we'll have the Precursor Orb in our possession! Move out!"

* * *

><p>"Okay, Sly, are you in position on the roof?" the aforementioned raccoon heard from his earpiece.<p>

Smiling at the familiar voice in his ear, Sly responded. "Affirmative, Blizzard," he said, not able to resist teasing the brainy turtle. He heard an exasperated sigh on the other end and held back a chuckle.

"Sly, I said we weren't doing codenames because of last time," Bentley whined.

"Right. Sorry, buddy. Force of habit," Sly responded. "Is Murray in position?"

"Yep. You're good to go. Just open the air vent and take a right. I'll direct you from there," the brains of the operation commanded, tapping of keys being able to be heard through the comm.

"Lead the way," Sly said before removing the cover of the vent with a grunt. He dropped to his stomach and crawled into the shaft. When directed, he took a right.

After the right, he's told to go left, left again, straight, right, straight, drop down to a lower part of the vent, left and left once more before being told he was where he was supposed to be. "Do you see a room below you?" he was asked.

"Yeah. But it looks empty apart from this weird Easter egg looking thing," the raccoon answered in a whisper, slightly confused.

"That's the Precursor Orb. It's practically priceless, Sly, so don't drop it or we're screwed," Bentley warned as if Sly were new at this. The raccoon rolled his eyes. "Wait for my mark."

A beat of silence passed, filled by the clicks of a mouse and taps of a keyboard. Finally, Bentley responded. "Okay, I've disabled the lasers, spotlights, and pressure pad on the room so all you have to do is drop down and get the Orb. Once you've got it, you can't get out the way you came in, so take the door to your left. I'll tell you what to do from there."

"Got it. I'll let you know when I'm ready for further instruction." With that, Sly removed the grate and soundlessly dropped down, cane in hand. A quick glance around the room confirmed it to be empty.

Cooper made his way to the Precursor Orb. He took off the glass covering and carefully lifted it from its place. Taking a moment to admire the artifact, he spun it in his gloved hands. The markings on the orb were incredibly beautiful. They were mostly made up of straight lines and spirals strewn about to somehow create a pattern along the surface. It was simple, yet incredible. Just by looking at it, Sly could tell this thing was ancient.

Snapping from his moment of admiring, the thief strapped the artifact securely to his back. Then, he walked to the left as Bentley instructed and opened the door. He stepped into the small hallway, shutting the door behind him silently. "Now what, pal?" he asks quietly.

"Now you're going to walk forward. Two doors down on the right side you'll find another hallway. Walk down that one until you hit the third door on the left. After that you'll hit a long, windy hallway. Take a right, go straight, go left twice, and then right twice and you should come across another door. Open it and you'll be in an open room. On the other side of the room should be the door to outside."

As Bentley relayed this information, Sly followed his directions. He found it a little odd that he didn't run into anyone on the way out, however.

His suspicion proved to be correct when he opened the door to outside, only to be met with wailing sirens and several police cars. Blue and red lights flashed.

"Shit. Uh, Bentley, we've got a situation here," he muttered. Following his words, he heard a series of panicked taps and a string of curses.

"Okay, new plan. Go back in the door and past the door on the other side of the room. Go right this time and just keep running straight for a while. After about a minute you'll come across a door that leads out back to an alley that goes right to the street. Just slip into the crowd and try to blend in," he fired off quickly. Sly nodded even if his friend couldn't hear and whipped around, following Bentley's orders.

When he came across the back door to the alley, he threw it open only to nearly run into none other than Inspector Fox. Well, more like her shock pistol.

"Freeze," said the blue-haired vixen, not realizing who it was yet.

Seeing a golden opportunity and taking it, Sly smirked. "How can I freeze when my heart warms at the mere sight of you?"

"_Cooper?_" Carmalita said, in a state of disbelief and choosing to ignore his comment. "You're a _thief?_"

Giving an awkward chuckle and relaxing slightly, Sly prepared to charm his way out of the situation, quickly reaching up and shutting off his comm. "Sorry to disappoint, Gorgeous. But, I've got to make a living somehow."

"By _breaking the law?_"

Sly merely shrugged and grinned at her. "I wouldn't expect you to understand me. What with your shiny badge and love-sick boyfriend," he fired back. The child in him refused to let himself go without making a comment and showing her how hurt he was.

"I don't have a boyfriend, Ringtail," she said as her eyes narrowed.

He blinked at this. "Wait, then who was that wolf guy?" he asked.

It was Carmelita's turn to be confused. "Mason? He's just a coworker of mine. Yes, he gave me flowers and chocolate, and yes, he did ask me out. But, I turned him down," she explained, eyeing the raccoon in front of her. Suddenly, her confusion cleared up and she scrunched her nose in disgust. "Wait, were you... _Following_ me?"

As she spoke, Sly's eyes were discreetly darting around, looking for a way out. He spotted an exposed pipe on the side of the wall to their left that was horizontal and at waist height. On the other side, he spotted a pipe going vertical and leading to the roof. The master thief looked back at her and saw another gun at her belt, a walkie-talkie, pepper spray, handcuffs, and a baton. Quickly coming up with a plan, he looked back at her face and registered her words.

"Wait, so you're _not_ dating anyone?" he asked with a smirk, choosing to ignore her stalker comment.

Inspector Fox groaned. "Can it, Cooper. Where you're going, it won't matter who I'm dating," she snapped.

Remaining nonchalant, Sly smiled easily and moved towards her with his hands part way up in mock surrender. "Sheesh, no need to get so harsh so quick, Beautiful. We were friends before, weren't we? We even danced together at our best friends' wedding. Don't I get the benefit of the doubt?"

At his step closer, the vixen stepped back and to the right a little. Her eyes stayed narrowed and on him, her shock pistol focused on his chest. When he spoke, she sighed slightly, her gun lowering infinitesimally.

"Yes, we were friends," she admitted. At his smug, triumphant smile, she rolled her eyes. She glanced around for any of her colleagues. When there was no sign of them, she faced the raccoon again.

"I will give you a ten second head start, Cooper. _Only_ because we were friends and your only criminal offense has been stealing from douche bags. No more, no less. And you'd better be far away when I get to zero, because I'll be coming after you," she told him firmly.

A grin spread across his face. "You got it, Inspector."

With another sigh, Carmelita started the countdown.

_Ten..._

_Nine..._

_Eight..._

_Seven..._

_Six..._

_Five..._

_Four..._

_Three... _She raised her shock pistol.

_Two..._

_One..._

_Zer-_

Before she could finish the last number, Sly lunged forward, hooking his cane around her back. In the same second, he tugged her forward into him so he could crash his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.

_**Finally**_, they both thought simultaneously.

Dropping her gun, Carmelita melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. Sly managed to push her against the wall, hands roaming everywhere as their mouths moved in perfect synch with one another. Reaching up, he pulled one of her hands and pinned it lightly against the wall beside her.

Eyes closed, every other sense was filled with each other: taste, smell, feel, hear. Sly sucked on Carmelita's bottom lip, eliciting a moan from the usually composed police woman.

The devious raccoon pulled away, grinning as he trailed feather-light kisses down the vixen's exposed throat, reveling in the sounds she was making.

He pulled away completely, looking into her eyes and seeing the pupil-blown look that most likely mirrored his own look. "I got tired of being interrupted," he muttered through their panting, a lopsided grin spreading across his face.

Carmelita laughs breathlessly. "You don't say?" she asked, looking back into his eyes. She could get used to this.

Suddenly adopting an apologetic look, Sly placed another kiss on her lips. This time, it was sweet and lingering. When he drew away, he sighed. "I'm sorry, Gorgeous," he said before stepping back and away from her.

Carmelita's brows drew together. "Wha-" She cut herself off when she noticed the... Cuff around her wrist? And the other side was attached to the pipe on the wall? Oh, he was going to _get it. _"Ringtail," she growled warningly.

Throwing her one last apologetically charming grin paired with a wink, Sly darted out of the alleyway and disappeared around the corner.

Fuming, Carmelita looked for the key to the handcuffs, though she figured he snatched them as well when his hands were... Eh... _Exploring_.

The vixen felt a card in her back pocket where the key would normally be. Funny, she didn't remember having anything there except the key...

Wondering what it was, she pulled it out and looked at it. Shockingly enough, it was one of the calling cards of the thief she had heard the precinct talking about earlier in the week. But how...

She flipped it over. On the other side, in surprisingly neat looping handwriting, was a note.

_Catch me if you can, Gorgeous._

"I'll find you, Cooper!" she yelled angrily, throwing the card to the ground.

Somewhere, on the roof of a building, a raccoon with a priceless artifact on his back grinned. "I know you will. But you'll never catch me," he said to the wind as he zipped across the gaps between roofs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The End!<strong>

**I know I left it off with them not together, but I decided to just leave it open-ended and leave it like the games.**

**I made a few references in this chapter! One was in the beginning. The first two lines are based off of the lines "I remember that it hurt; looking at her hurt," and it's from the movie "Stuck in Love"! The second is the artifact the gang steals. It's a reference to another video game that made my childhood complete; "Jak & Daxter".**

**If you caught those references, then I love you. If you didn't, I still love you cuz you read my story XD**

**Also, the ending was just like in the first game mixed with a tad bit of the second game ^^ The whole "my heart warms at the mere sight of you" line is from the first game as well XD**

**I hope you guys found this story satisfactory and once again, I am SO sorry it took so long.**


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